[Measurement of emission rate of formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds(VOCs) from building materials by the small chamber method].

A small chamber for measuring the emission rate of formaldehyde gas and volatile organic compounds(VOCs) from building materials was developed, and formaldehyde and VOCs (toluene and xylene) concentrations emitted from particle boards(PB), medium density fiber-boards(MDF) and wall papers were measured. The emission rates measured by the chamber method were compared with the values by the desiccator method, several modified desiccator methods and the perforator method. The emission rate of formaldehyde increased with time and it became constant after about 20 hours. On the other hand, the emission rate of VOCs decreased with time. A good correlation was obtained on the emission rate of formaldehyde between the chamber method and the conventional desiccator method. The correlation coefficient between the perforator method and the chamber method was also high, but the correlation was low for surface treated materials.